We've Lost that Loving Feeling

This is an election year in the USA and as political pundits and candidates take to the airwaves to convince the electorate, I am saddened by the vitriol with which the messages are delivered.

Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology Theory postulates that people are born with weak, inferior bodies which cause them to have feelings of inferiority, thus making them dependent on others. He also suggests that a feeling of unity with others (social interest) is innate, and as such is the summit for psychological health. In an effort to protect the human’s fragile self-esteem (emanating from the feelings of inferiority), Adler believed that people developed patterns of coping or Safeguarding Techniques.

On the surface, Adler’s theory appears to compare favorably with Christianity on two levels:

·       The sense of community – as seen throughout the Bible, a sense of community – social feeling/community feeling (gemeinschaftsgefuhl) is very important. The early church is a perfect example of this, the book of Acts states that the believers assembled together for prayer and fellowship. We also know that they sold their goods and shared the proceeds.

·       The search for perfection – his teleology stresses that future goals motivate present behavior. Although the Bible does not teach that Christ’s followers can become perfect, it does however, embrace striving for improved relationships with God and fellow believers. Paul says it best in Philippians 3:13-14; the goal being not perfection, but the prize of the upward call of God in Christ.

However, if we want to continue calling ourselves a Christian nation, then the way in which we treat the least among us is in need of an overhaul.  It appears to me that even as one possesses great wealth one can still possess a fragile self-esteem with a penchant to demean others.  It is sad that our public discourse cannot be on a level where we can respectfully disagree without name calling and deprecation.  As the Righteous Brothers sang years ago, “You’ve [We’ve] lost that loving feeling.” 

As a Christian nation, let’s try to regain that loving feeling before it’s gone.  We can do this by reinstating that sense of community and searching for a more ‘perfect’ way to hold our public discourse as we strive for a better nation.

I’m just thinking . . . have we really lost that loving feeling?